| Show SYMPTOMS OF LABOR AND CAPITAL convulsion Is the country to be convulsed with labor strikes thle this spring the question is f suggested by the recent conference held at pittsburg between miners miner sand and mine owners the rho eight hour houi day was the chief talc discussed and the result of the conference dis clows closes the fact that there la Is no possibility of a settlement the miners hold held out abr an eight gourlay hour hay lay uncompromisingly but were vere disposed to accepts accept a lower wage rate the owners nersas as stubbornly hold held out that they would manage their property as suited themselves anti ami that they would gouid work their mines as many hours a day as ae they pleased in april 1886 the federated trades resolved on making a universal demand for an eight hour day all over novt r the coi country jutry in chicago the trades were unusually active may the was fixed on as the day on which to make the demand it was made but not of granted the men went on strike hold held meetings and the leaders delivered inflammatory speeches one of these meetings was being held on en the evening of may 3 1886 in the haymarket square chicago the police broke up the meeting A bomb was thrown among the police several lost their lives and a large number wounded the rho labor agitators were fired on by the police and many of them also killed and ana wounded the debult of this was that some of the labor leaders were hung and the eight hour day rested until 1890 liast last year on may the the carpenters made a demand for an eight hour day the demand was as near universal as it could be it was not mot granted at first and a strike was in augu rated in time compromises were made and according to gompers the leader of the federated trades cities have an eight hour day for carpenters in accordance with the scheme out lined by gompers Oom pers that one trade every year should remand demand an eight hour day and be supported by all other trades as the carpen carpenters tep were the miners have resolved to come out in may next anti and make the demand the coming struggle is one for which both sides are prepared the natio national naf convention of united mine workers was hold held at columbus 0 on february 10 of this year it represented a body of miners located in eight different states after calm deliberation it was resolved that the eight hour day must be sought for the miners committee which annually confers with the mine owners in april was instructed to discuss the question the committee did so at pittsburgh a few days ago but with no successful results result so the miners must go on strike or go back on all their schemes and resolves it to is estimated that there are in the united states miners one balf aalf of whom belong to organized labor unions and must be governed by union pulon decrees in their strike they will have the support of all other organized trades trudee throughout the country the miners as a claw class are better organized now than a few years ago they were then organized in two bodies aad usually occupied them solves selves in internecine strife now they are organized into one body the united mine workers of america 10 during the past year a fund was raised aud and Is still being raised specially for a strike it is ia said maid that this fund is now equal to theu then when the strike to ig declared all other trades will contribute so BO that the miners m lucre are a re prepared for a fight the miners expect to be able to pay each striker 3 weekly while the strike lasts lasta and in ohio they secured the passage of a state law prohibiting the employment of pinkerton men there are miners in ohio alone the officers of the mine workers are all experienced perien ced conservative and tried men their organization is an aa near perfect as it is possible for one of its kind to be all this combined with the moral and flu financial ancial support of the other organized trades will make a formidable fight against coal mine owners it must be understood that the own ers are also prepared for the fight they are cognizant of what is going on they have their agents in all the trade societies and though they can not hire pinkerton they will have his men as employed emp loyes in the mines as an they have now in pennsylvania in truth it would seem as if eight hours were a day long enough to work underground and it looks rather arbit arbitrary mry on the part of the owners that they would not concede anything at the pittsburg conference they would not even listen to the proposition |
